Footwear outsole inlcuding gripping tread

ABSTRACT

An outsole for an article of footwear including a plurality of laterally extending walls where each pair of adjacent walls defines a channel. The outsole also includes a plurality of receptacles between the adjacent walls where the channel extends across each of the receptacles.

BACKGROUND

Outsoles are the outermost layer of a shoe that directly contact the ground and are made with different materials and patterns depending on the environmental conditions and terrains that the shoes are used in. In this regard, outsoles on shoes used for physical activities, such as running or biking, must be durable and provide sufficient support to handle the wear and tear and impact forces generated during those activities.

Off road biking, such as mountain biking, is a popular outdoor activity and consists of riding bicycles off-road using specially adapted cycling equipment. Most mountain biking occurs on rough terrain, such as steep hills and trails, which requires significant endurance and agility and the proper equipment. To enhance the rider's stability and control on such rough terrain, the rider's shoes must provide sufficient support and flexibility as well as securely grip the pedals and the ground.

The terrain in the locations where mountain biking occurs varies and in some areas may include combinations of dirt, gravel, sand and rock. The rider's shoes therefore need to be able to sufficiently grip the different terrains. The shoes must also securely grip the pedals so that the user's feet do not slide along or slip off of the pedals during riding which can be dangerous and lead to severe injuries.

SUMMARY

An article of footwear is provided with an outsole including a plurality of walls extending between medial and lateral sides of the outsole and a plurality of receptacles between adjacent pairs of the walls. The receptacles engage a surface of a pedal for securely holding the article of footwear on the pedal while the walls limit forward and rearward movement of a the article of footwear on the pedal to help prevent the article of footwear from sliding or slipping off of the pedal.

In an embodiment, an outsole for an article of footwear is provided that includes a plurality of laterally extending walls where each pair of adjacent walls defines a channel. The outsole also includes a plurality of receptacles between the adjacent walls where the channel extends across each of the receptacles.

In another embodiment, an article of footwear is provided and includes an outsole having a front side, a rear side, a medial side and a lateral side, and a plurality of walls extending between the medial and the lateral sides of the outsole, where each pair of adjacent walls defines a channel. A plurality of receptacles are defined between the adjacent walls where the channel extends between the medial and the lateral sides of the outsole. The article of footwear also includes a toe tread portion located at the front side of the outsole and a heel tread portion located at the rear side of the outsole.

In a further embodiment, an outsole for an article of footwear is provided and includes a plurality of laterally spaced receptacles where each of the receptacles includes a plurality of angled surfaces meeting at a center point.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of the present footwear outsole.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of a central tread portion of the footwear outsole of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the toe tread portion of the footwear outsole of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the heel tread portion of the footwear outsole of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of another embodiment of the present footwear outsole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, the present footwear includes a central tread portion configured to securely grip a pedal on a bicycle or other pedal driven device and first and second tread portions respectively located at the toe and heel portions of the outsole for gripping the underlying terrain.

The present outsole generally designated as 20, includes a central tread portion 22, a toe tread portion 24 and a heel tread portion 26. The central tread portion 22 is configured to interface or interlock with a pedal on a bicycle (not shown), such as a mountain bike or off-road bike, or other suitable pedal driven bicycles and devices. Specifically, the central tread portion 22 of the outsole 20 engages teeth projecting from the bike pedal to allow lateral movement of the outsole on the pedal, such as when a user places their foot onto or off of the pedal, while inhibiting forward or rearward movement of the outsole relative to the pedal. As shown in FIG. 2, the central tread portion 22 includes a plurality of zig-zagging, triangular walls 28 protruding from the outsole 20 and extending between the medial side 30 and the lateral side 32 of the outsole. In the illustrated embodiment, the central tread portion 22 does not extend to the peripheral edge 34 of the outsole 20 or to the toe portion 36 or the heel portion 38 of the outsole. It should be appreciated that the outsole 20 may have one or more portions including the zig-zagging walls 28 where the zig-zagging walls may extend to the peripheral edge 34, the toe portion 36 or the heel portion 38.

The walls 28 are arranged on the outsole 20 so that there is a channel 40 or space between adjacent pairs of the walls 28 where the channel allows the teeth on the pedal to move laterally between the medial and the lateral sides 30, 32 of the outsole. This lateral movement makes it easier for a user to slide their shoe onto the pedal when starting to ride their bike and off of the pedal for contacting the ground to stop the bike. While riding, a user's shoes must securely engage and grip the pedals to maintain stability and control of the bike. If the one or both shoes slide along or slip off of the pedals, the rider could lose control of the bike and be seriously injured. To inhibit forward or rearward movement of the outsole 20 on the pedal, the walls 28 of the outsole 20 are integrally formed, i.e., do not include spaces or channels, thereby forming a closed wall pattern which acts as a stop when the teeth engage the walls. It should be appreciated that the walls 20 may have a zig-zag pattern or any closed pattern such as a rounded wave pattern or other suitable pattern.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the walls 28 form a plurality of diamond-shaped receptacles or recesses 42 arranged in rows extending between the medial and lateral sides 30, 32 of the outsole 20. Each of the diamond-shaped recesses 42 includes four angled or slanted surfaces 44 that extend from a top edge 46 of the walls 28 to a center point 48 of the respective recess. The recesses 42 also include a plurality of steps 49 or ridges that gradually decrease the width of the recess from the top edge of the walls to the center point. The narrowing recesses 42 enable a tooth on a bicycle pedal to be easily inserted into the wider top opening of each recess while securing the tooth in the narrowed bottom portion of that recess. Thus, the teeth on a pedal easily engage and are securely held in the recesses 42 when the outsole 20 of the shoe engages the pedal.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, the toe tread portion 24 of the outsole 20 includes rearwardly-facing, overlapping lugs 50 that enhance the gripping of the outsole on an underlying surface or terrain such as rocks, gravel, dirt or other surfaces. It is contemplated that the toe tread portion 24 may have one or a plurality of the lugs 50. Each lug 50 is formed by a pair of angled walls 52 connected by a straight wall 54 where each of the walls 52, 54 has a straight or flat outer surface 56. In the illustrated embodiment, one or more of the walls 52, 54 have angled outer surfaces 57 that form an undercut 59 (FIG. 3) for enabling the lugs 50 to dig into and grip the ground. The lugs 50 extend from the medial to lateral sides 30, 32 to the peripheral edge 34 of the outsole 20. Additionally, the rearwardly facing lugs 50 slant upwardly from the front of the shoe to the rear of the shoe. This allows the lugs 50 to act as teeth that engage and dig into an underlying surface or terrain such as when a user is walking on a flat surface or up a mountain or hill.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4, the heel tread portion 26 includes a plurality of lugs 58 that face forwardly or toward the toe portion 36 of the shoe and overlap each other as described above. These lugs 58 have angled walls 60 forming a triangular shape that are separated by a flat or straight wall 62. The outer surface 64 of each of the walls is generally straight or flat, but may be angled to form an undercut 66. It should be appreciated that the heel tread portion 26 may include one or a plurality of the lugs 58 where the lugs may be arranged laterally (extending between the medial to lateral sides 30, 32 of the outsole) or in any suitable configuration. Similar to the lugs 50 on the toe tread portion 24, the lugs 58 on the heel tread portion 26 are angled or sloped upwardly from the heel portion 38 toward the toe portion 36 of the outsole 20 and form teeth-like structures that help grip the heel tread portion 26 to the underlying terrain when a user is stopped on a downward sloping incline, slippery surface or other similar surface. It should be appreciated that the lugs 58 on the heel tread portion 26 may be any suitable size and shape.

The peripheral edge 34 of the outsole 20 includes a plurality of recesses or notches 68 that vary in size. These notches 68 help to displace dirt or gravel from the outsole 20 and away from the shoe. It should be appreciated that the notches 68 on the peripheral edge 34 of the outsole 20 may be any suitable size or shape.

The outsole 20 is made by first inserting a first material into a press mold that compresses the first material to form the central tread portion 22 of the outsole. After the central tread portion 22 is formed, the same material is placed adjacent to the central tread portion 22 to form the peripheral edge 34, the toe tread portion 24 and the heel tread portion 26 of the outsole. Accordingly, the central, toe and heel tread portions 22, 24, 26 of the outsole 20 are co-molded using a press mold or any suitable molding process.

In operation, a user places their shoe, and more specifically, the outsole 20 of their shoe onto a bicycle pedal by sliding the outsole 20 laterally onto the pedal so that the teeth engage the recesses 42 in between the walls 28 of the central tread portion 22 and slide laterally within the channels 40 between the walls 28 until the user's foot is positioned stably on the pedal. The teeth on the pedal engage the recesses 42 so that if the user's foot moves forward or rearward on the pedal while the teeth are engaged in the recesses, the teeth contact the adjacent zig-zagging walls 28 where the walls act as a stop to prevent the teeth from moving substantially forward or rearward relative to the outsole 20. If the user stops riding their bike and has to place their foot or feet on the underlying terrain, the lugs 58 in the toe and heel tread portions 36, 38 help grip the outsole 20 to the underlying terrain and prevent the user's foot or feet from slipping or sliding on the terrain.

Referring now to FIG. 5, another embodiment of the present outsole is shown where an outsole 70 includes the central tread portion 22 described above and a toe tread portion 72 and a heel portion 74. The toe tread portion 72 includes a plurality of overlapping lugs 76 that face or extend rearwardly (toward the toe portion) and are arranged in a row laterally across the outsole 70. Each lug 76 includes two angled walls 78 that meet at a center point 80 to form a triangular shape where the lugs 76 are separated by a straight or flat wall 82. The heel tread portion 74 includes overlapping lugs 84 that face or extend forwardly (i.e., from the heel to the toe portion). The lugs 84 are formed in the same way as the lugs 76 and have a triangular shape but face or extend in an opposite direction to the lugs 76 as shown in FIG. 1. It should be appreciate that the lugs 76, 84 may be any suitable size and shape.

While a particular embodiment of the present article of footwear has been described herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An outsole for an article of footwear comprising: a plurality of laterally extending walls, each pair of adjacent walls defining a channel; and a plurality of receptacles between said adjacent walls, said channel extending across each of said receptacles.
 2. The outsole of claim 1, wherein each of said walls is integrally formed and extends between a medial side and a lateral side of the outsole.
 3. The outsole of claim 1, wherein each of said walls has a zig-zag shape.
 4. The outsole of claim 1, wherein each of said receptacles is diamond-shaped.
 5. The outsole of claim 1, wherein each of said receptacles includes inwardly extending surfaces meeting a center point.
 6. The outsole of claim 5, wherein each of said surfaces of said receptacles includes a plurality of steps.
 7. An article of footwear comprising: an outsole having a front side, a rear side, a medial side and a lateral side; a plurality of walls extending between said medial and said lateral sides of said outsole, each pair of adjacent walls defining a channel; a plurality of receptacles between said adjacent walls, said channel extending between said medial and said lateral sides of said outsole; a toe tread portion at said front side of said outsole; and a heel tread portion at said rear side of said outsole.
 8. The article of footwear of claim 7, wherein said toe tread portion includes rearwardly facing lugs.
 9. The article of footwear of claim 8, wherein said heel tread portion includes fowardly facing lugs.
 10. The article of footwear of claim 7, wherein said toe tread portion and said heel tread portion each include lugs, said lugs of said toe tread portion and said heel tread portion extending in opposite directions.
 11. The article of footwear of claim 7, wherein said outsole includes a peripheral edge and said walls extend to said peripheral edge on said medial and lateral sides of the outsole.
 12. The article of footwear of claim 7, wherein said toe tread portion and said heel tread portion each include a plurality of overlapping lugs.
 13. An outsole for an article of footwear comprising: a plurality of laterally spaced receptacles, each of said receptacles including a plurality of angled surfaces meeting at a center point.
 14. The outsole of claim 13, wherein said angled surfaces of said receptacles each include steps.
 15. The outsole of claim 13, further comprising a channel extending across said receptacles.
 16. The outsole of claim 13, wherein each of said receptacles is diamond-shaped. 